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New study analyzes relevance of AHRQ safety indicators for pediatric hospitals

Patient Safety Monitor Alert, January 7, 2005

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Pediatric hospitals often have difficulty measuring progress in patient safety improvements because of uncertainty about whether standard patient safety measurement tools apply to their patients. A new study of data from 67 children's hospitals in 31 states shows that these hospitals can use many of the same indicators as adult hospitals to measure preventable complications and problems, including bed sores and blood clots, according to a University of Michigan Health System press release.

The study, published in the January issue of Pediatrics, evaluated information from about 1.93 million children's hospital stays over four years, compiled by the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions.

The study shows that pediatric hospitals can improve in areas such as preventing hospital-acquired infections, clots in intravenous lines, and bed sores.

"This is the first time that the national patient safety indicators have been applied to children's hospitals specifically, and we find both encouraging news for patients and a chance to refine the analytical tools so that they fit children's care even better," said Aileen Sedman, MD, lead author of the study and professor emerita of pediatrics and former associate chief of clinical affairs at the University of Michigan Health System.

The team also found that children's hospitals have low rates of patient safety issues, so comparing them to adult hospitals is not always valid.

Based on the results, the researchers are working with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to refine the AHRQ patient safety indicators to more accurately reflect preventable incidents and deaths among children.

To read the abstract of the Pediatric article, click here.

To read the University of Michigan Health System press release, click here.

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